Within the crane business, the all-terrain crane is a luxury type of a mobile hydraulic crane. The reputation of this crane is like driving a Range Rover or a Hummer on pavement. All-terrain cranes are considered to be a hybrid between a mobile truck crane and rough terrain crane. One more remarkable quality of this machine is its multi-functional ability to be able to traverse through all types of off-road terrain. Amongst the main selling features of this crane is that it travels equally well at top speeds down highways.
The Very First Rough Terrain Crane
The first rough terrain crane was put on the market by Grove during the year 1959. The crane was intended for application and designed to deal with many tasks on construction locations. The industrial strength of the crane's tires is capable of handling all types of difficult terrain and can transport small loads in carry mode. During the 1970s, Grove introduced the 4 axle Super-RT 1650 model. This specific unit has an 82.8 meter or 270 foot height under hook in production, together with a 135 ton lifting capacity. At the end of the day, the rough terrain crane would become the most remarkable machinery of the company through the years.
The Crane's Drawbacks
Among the main disadvantages of the rough terrain crane was the issue that it was not capable of being driven on public highways with any other traffic. Japan was the only country in the globe that would make an exception to this rule. In addition, one more problem occurred when the crane's lowered boom tended to block the left and right views of the driver, that depends upon how the cap was positioned. These issues with the design of the crane ended up being hazardous and serious and result in lots of accidents with RT cranes, especially while turning. Thus, lowboys, flatbeds, low-loaders were used as the primary method of transporting rough terrain cranes.